


To Perceive the World with Other Senses

by jeleania



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, additional characters to be added if this is continued..., blind!jack, here goes nothing...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-15
Updated: 2013-07-15
Packaged: 2017-12-20 06:27:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/884008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeleania/pseuds/jeleania
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It was dark. But that was nothing new."</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Perceive the World with Other Senses

**Author's Note:**

> sorry if this gets a bit confusing. trying out something new...

It was dark. But that was nothing new. The cold and wet were different though. Surrounded by...by water. That's what it was called, water. All around him, cradling his form, pressed close, filling...filling his nose, his mouth, his lungs! He couldn't breathe! He couldn't move! 

But wait, he was floating upward. Something warm pulled him. He couldn't feel anything solid, just an encompassing gentle warmth. The fear of the water, of drowning (again...?), of the surrounding stifling silence fell away. Something hard yet brittle-seeming breaking against his face, then he was out.

 

Cold! He gasped reflexively, and found that the water in his nose mouth lungs froze into tiny crystals, released into the air as he exhaled. Wait, it wasn't so cold. Cold yet not cold. What was -

 

**_Your name is Jack Frost._ **

****

A voice! Not in his ears, but in his mind his heart his soul. It belonged to the warmth that pulled him from ... from the lake, wet-cold-fluid water all around-below him, reaching down into murky mud and far circling him. Why had he been in the lake? Slowly, that warmth lowered him down onto - what is this? Cold and slick under his feet. Ice, it was called ice. The warmth faded, withdrew, somewhere above him. He reached out a - a hand? Yes, that was a hand, his hand, attached to his arm, to his shoulder, to his chest. That was him, and he was human. Right?

 

The warmth! Where? He stepped forward. Slippery! The ice made his feet - those were his feet. And toes! Feel them wiggle. Shift them like this, and they gripped the ice better. No more slipping.

 

It was gone, the warmth that saved him, pulled him from the lake, gave him his name. Jack Frost. Jaacck Fffroosst. A good name. Didn't feel quite right, but yet felt right. But he didn't know any other. Did he? 

 

Focus, Jack, focus. Where did the warmth go?

 

He closed his eyes - useless eyes, always seeing nothing but dark dark dark - and listened smelled felt. His eyes may be useless, but his ears nose skin were skilled. 

 

It was quiet. There! A owl called out. Owls lived mostly at night. Perhaps it was night. No other birds, just the owl and the whisper of the wind. So it was probably night. There was no warmth of the sun against his skin, so it was night.

 

Cool snow. Evergreen trees. Crisp ice. His nose found little else. So it was winter. Time of snow and cold and quiet as the land slept.

 

A winter night when a mysterious warmth pulled him from the icy waters of a lake and named him Jack Frost.

 

Feet carried him one step, two - A sudden  _crackle_  under his feet. What was that? Something on the ice? Careful balance on one foot as the toes of the other bravely quested outward. What was this? His toes found...wood? 

 

Kneeling, his fingers found a stick? An icy tingling yet right feeling flowed from his heart - core - center down his arm into the stick. It felt right, it was good, it was part of him yet not. Strange. Examine the stick, Jack, figure out weird feelings later. Move up and down its rough bark, something cold and icy-yet-not-ice following his touch. Straight and thick to one tapered end, follow to the other side, along a curve, a crook. It was taller than him, a strong staff, a shepherd's crook. How did he know what a shepherd was? No matter. It was his staff. His.

 

The staff slipped in his grip, tilting -  _Crackle_! Questing fingers found one end had tapped the ice. The ice felt different, not so smooth anymore. Fingers explored. There was a pattern, curls and ferns and - Frost! It was frost! His staff made frost.

 

Scrambling to his feet, he slid-ran toward the scent of evergreen. Trees didn't grow on lakes, they grew on the ground, on the shore around the lake. 

 

Squish. His toes wiggled. Snow. He reached down. Soft-yet-not cold snow. Fingers dug into it until he found hard ground. Scraped it with his nails. Solid frozen ground. Deep in winter.

 

Standing, he moved carefully toward evergreen scent and other wood smells. There may be no leaves but the trees weren't gone, just sleeping, recuperating energy until spring came and it was time to grow again. He could feel them. 

 

Wait, he could feel them? He stood still, feeling with this odd new sense that wasn't touch yet was, wasn't hearing yet was. 

 

Oh. 

 

That was...

 

_Crisp-frozen_  ice behind him, thick over  _wet-cold-fluid_  water.  
  
 _Cool-_  snow, a blanket stretching far over sleeping earth, resting on the branches of sleeping trees.  
  
Sluggish yet steady  _warm-thrumming-life_  of trees. Their centers moved slow, creeping sap flowing, singing softly of  _growth yet to come_ , of _rain and wind of years gone_ , of the  _leaves that had been and would be_ , of _life sleeping until it was time be born_.  
  
Small concentrated balls of  _bright-warmth_  sleeping in trees and ground. Little burrows holding squirrels, voles, other small bits of life, waiting for spring's warmth to wake them.   
  
Deep deep earth, sleeping yet not. So deep and wide beneath him, seeming to go forever. An old old power, nurturing and steady, a  _heartbeat_  that he could feel in his core.  
  
Wide wide sky, spread so far. Winds crooned and played, watching over all below, stretching so high until there was no wind just colder-than-cold  _space between the stars_  beyond into -

 

He gasped and reflexively opened his eyes. Trembled and breathe, Jack, breathe. Focus on air moving in and out of lungs, steady it, calm. Wiggle toes in the snow, clench the sturdy wood of the staff in his hands. Solid earth, solid core of himself.

 

"Jack, no feeling beyond the sky for a while." He whispered to himself. 

 

With a shake like a dog shaking off water, he moved toward the  _warm-thrumming-life_  of a group of trees. Outstretched fingers found smooth bark. With a careful tap of his staff, there was a  _crackle_ of forming ice. Curious fingers followed the delicate whorls. His lips tugged upward into a grin. Another tap,  _crackle_ , more frost patterns for sensitive fingertips to find. 

 

Laughter bubbled out of his throat, _Joy_  singing in his veins. Dashing across the snow to the  _crisp-frozen_  ice of the lake, he proceeded to run and spin with the end of his staff trailing on the smooth surface. His dance lead him all over the frozen lake, the frost spreading in rough patterns beneath his toes.

 

Sudden, rushing, something pushed pulled spun him about. Swept, lifting, toes left the frost. Something-yet-not wrapped around him. The ice, the ground, where was it? Toes found nothing but emptiness. His breath caught in his throat, shortening pants of air, what was happening?! Something tugged at his sleeves, his cloak, smooth yet not there on his skin. It tickled his feet, wrapped cool-warm along his palms. His fingers tingled, hair on his neck prickling at the touch-not-touch. 

 

His heart pounded in his chest, thumping hard against his ribs. Blood raced through his limbs, uncomfortably warm as fingers and toes stretched, seeking seeking. Skin tingled as it searched desperately to find something to touch, something solid to anchor him. There was nothing there. Nothing. Nothing!

 

He was afraid. His chest tightened, bands of panic around his ribs making him gasp.  

 

Where was the ground? 

 

Where was the ice?

 

He couldn't find anything! 

 

Swinging his staff, he found no resistance of solid, no trees, no ice. His free shaking hand found only this rushing cool-warm nothingness. 

 

No touch beneath his feet. No safe ice, no solid earth. 

 

The  _cool-warm_  something sent him spinning, spinning like his dance upon the ice. But there was no ice, no ground to dance upon. His head spun like his body was tossed about, awhirl and confusing. Where was he?! 

 

His breath stuttered, coming fast and short, making him dizzy for lack of air. His body trembled in distress and over sensitized skin. 

 

His fingers clenched his staff, clinging to the only solid that wasn't him.

 

Nothing. 

 

There was nothing.

 

He wanted it to stop. He wanted the ground, the snow, the trees. He didn't want to be lost in this nothing nothing nothingness!

 

He couldn't breathe breathe breathe!

 

He dragged air into a too tight chest, scared confused lost, and rasped out -

 

"Stop!!"

 

  
_Cool-warm_  let him go.

 

Falling -!

 

Thump!

 

Hard solidness smacked into his stomach, knocking loose what little air was in his lungs. Desperate fingers scrabbled to get a grip on solidness, legs wrapping around it and clinging tight. Muscles trembling with fear and strain, he held on tight, and tried to breathe. Sweet air in and out of his mouth. Solid something under him. 

 

He wasn't in nothingness anymore.

 

He could touch solidness. Solidness was real. He was real.

 

He breathed.

 

He wasn't sure how long he lay there, breathing and savoring the solidness under his hands - cheek - body. Once the tight bands of panic eased their grip on his lungs and his body stopped shaking so much in fear, Jack started to pay attention to the smaller things his senses were telling him.

 

Rough something - bark! tree bark! Fingers carefully explored. Yes, it was tree bark. He was on a tree branch, near as thick as his thigh. His cheek and palms stung with pain from scratches, his sudden landing having scraped skin off.

 

Slowly, he sat up, stomach aching from bruises starting to form from smacking into the branch. Wonderful branch, he petted it, his mind shifting slightly to focus-listen to the _warm-thrumming-life_  beneath the bark. Nice solid branch, that saved him from the confusing nothingness of -

 

What had been the nothingness?

 

And how had he gotten there?

 

He thought, remembering dancing then something had spun pulled lifted him. What had that been?

 

  
_Cool-warm_  brushed his cheek.

 

Jack flinched, hunching down and gripping the solid safe tree branch with legs and hands. He didn't want to get lost again. Didn't want to -

 

But he wasn't being pulled spun lifted. Relaxing slightly, he tilted his head, fear giving way to curiosity.  _Cool-warm_  touched his cheek, gentle there-yet-not, ruffled his hair lightly.

 

  
_/Concern-regret-apology/_  was whispered into his ears-mind-heart.

 

Blink. What? Was that...

 

"Wind?" he softly asked.

 

  
_/Happy-confirmation/_  was the reply.

 

"You - you lifted me? Made me fly?"

 

  
_/Confirm-abashed/_   _Cool-warm_  wind lightly spun around him, a sort-of hug of there-not-there.  _/Forgive?/_  


 

Chuckling, Jack was reminded of high sweet voice pleading and apologizing - Where had that come from? Who had that been? - and him giving in with a smile curving his lips. He could never deny her - Her? Who her? - anything. "I forgive you. I was just startled."

 

  
_/Happy-thankful/_  sang-danced the wind, twining around his body playfully like a cat wrapping around one's ankles.  _/Fly-explore-play?/_  


 

"Where?" Jack felt his curiosity grew.

 

  
_Cool-warm_  gently tugged his clothes, pulling him upward slightly.

 

Of course, Jack, you need to fly to go there. Need to fly to get down from this tree even.

 

A flicker of fear lit within him, but he stuffed it out. Flying was confusing, no ground, no ice, nothing solid. But wind was there. 

 

He remembered now, the way he had felt that  _cool-warm_  something around him, like a blanket or a mother's - what mother? did he have a mother? - arms. He just hadn't been paying attention. This time, he would.

 

Jack shifted, pulling his legs up onto the branch. Toes - wiggle then grip - dug securely into rough tree bark. Thick protrusions and rugged fissures, his fingers traced them, marveling over the shapes and lines. Once in a crouch, he slowly eased his hand's grip on the branch and unfolded his legs, standing with arms spread for balance.

 

But he didn't need to do that. The branch was solid and steady, like the ground, deep earth far below him. He would not fall.

 

Taking a deep breath, he tilted his head, focusing on the cool-warm wind wafting idly patiently around him. "Catch me if I fall?" He jokingly asked, the hand not holding his staff held out like he was reaching out to shake hands - how would that feel? to touch another's skin? - with someone.

 

  
_/Protective-fierce-promise-always/ Cool-warm_  wrapped around him, nuzzling cheeks and running over his hands. 

 

Feeling something ease in him, Jack smiled. "Alright, Wind. Let's go!"

 

He jumped off the branch, arms spread wide.

 

A leap of faith.

 

Wind caught him, crooning babbling  _/Excitement joy fly!/_  Lifting him up, secure wrapped in her unseen arms.

 

Light as a snowflake, he was gently rolled around, dipped and curved. Feeling-sensing the barely-there touch of  _cool-warm_  on his limbs - fingers and toes! arms and legs! - and his body, he tried to match them, to meld with them. Relax here, lift this a bit, curve tilt flow.

 

  
_/Joy/_  sang Wind, carrying him to places unknown.

 

Jack laughed brightly.

 

He couldn't wait to explore!

 

Far overhead, a Moon the new spirit couldn't see Smiled.

 

**Author's Note:**

> why did some of my spacing go wonky? whatever...
> 
> ugh, kept hitting a wall with the getting-to-the-village and being-walked-through part. Don't want to look at this anymore, so I'll post it and see if anyone is interested.
> 
> If anyone does like this, I'm taking suggestions of places and events for Jack to experience. I kinda want to try challenging myself with expressing the way Jack views the world.


End file.
